Walter Roll was appointed the mayor of Centre Island on Thursday, Sept. 11, after former Mayor Lawrence Schmidlapp died in August. Roll previously served as deputy mayor.
Schmidlapp was re-elected to his seat in June for a two-year term, but a mayoral election will not take place next June, according to a published report.
Attempts to reach Roll were unavailing.
According to an online obituary posted by the Oyster Bay Funeral Home, Schmidlapp died on Aug. 16 at the age of 80.
The late mayor was in Brigham City, Utah, on Feb. 5, 1945, and moved to Centre Island in 1948. He attended The Green Vale School, Millbrook School and Kenyon College, the obit said.
Schmidlapp served in Army Intelligence during the Vietnam War. After returning to the United States, Schmidlapp began a 38-year career in municipal bond sales, spending the majority of his career at Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan Chase, the obit said.
Schmidlapp was a founding member of the Centre Island Land Trust and Friends of the Bay. He served as a trustee of the North Shore Land Alliance, The Green Vale School, Oyster Bay Boys & Girls Club, The Waterfront Centre and Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, the obit said.
He was also the past president of the Beaver Dam Winter Sports Club and, most recently, held the position of commander of the Locust Valley American Legion, the obit said.
Schmidlapp served the Centre Island Village for 20 years, first as trustee, then as mayor for 15 years. His father had served as a mayor for the village as well during the 1980s, the obit said.
Newsday reported Schmidlapp died following a battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, cholangiocarcinoma.
According to Newsday, Trustee Anne Glass submitted her resignation from her seat prior to the Sept. 11 board meeting, which Roll accepted. The report says Roll selected former Lattingtown board member and longtime Centre Island resident Mark DeNatale for her seat.
Roll said the deputy mayor seat should be filled within the month, according to the report.
